Chisocheton cumingianus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Chisocheton cumingianus (C. DC.) Harms

Family: Meliaceae

Synonyms

• Chisocheton morobeanus Harms,
• Chisocheton paniculatus Hiern,
• Chisocheton thorelii Pierre.

Vernacular names

• Philippines: balukanag (Pilipino), batuakan (Igorot), balokanag (Bikolano), makalakad (Bisaya)
• Burma (Myanmar): tagat-pyu
• Thailand: yom makok (northern)
• Vietnam: gội chùy

Distribution

From northern India (Assam) and southern China throughout continental South-East Asia (except Peninsular Malaysia) and eastern Malesia (not in Sumatra and Java), New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago.

Uses

The seed contains a non-drying oil ("balukanag" oil), used particularly in the Philippines for soap making and illumination. In the Philippines the oil is also used medicinally, externally it is applied for rheumatism and inflammation due to oedema, internally it is taken to treat cholera and gastralgia. The wood is utilized as a medium-weight hardwood timber, e.g. for light constructions. In New Guinea, C. cumingianus is used as a fish poison.

Observations

• Tree up to 40 m tall, bole up to 1.5 m in diameter with buttresses up to 3 m × 2 m or fluted up to 10 m.
• Leaves crowded in terminal spirals, up to 1.2 m long, pinnate with up to 15 pairs of leaflets, pseudogemmulate; petiole 5-10 cm, petiolules 4-12 mm long; leaflets ovate to elliptical, 6-42 cm × 2-14 cm, papery to coriaceous, tertiary venation conspicuous.
• Inflorescence a thyrse, up to 50 cm long with 2-3 branches up to 10 cm long, axillary, supra-axillary or borne on short shoots (3-8 thyrses per shoot) on defoliated twigs, branches or on bole; pedicel up to 4 mm long.
• Flowers unisexual or bisexual, tubular, nearly 2 cm long; calyx campanulate, 1-3 mm long; petals (3-)4(-5), spatulate, 1-2.5 cm × 2.5 mm, pale yellow to white; staminal tube about 1 mm in diameter, bearing 6-9 anthers about 2 mm long; ovary in female flowers 3-4-locular, each locule with 1 ovule, style at apex disciform to capitate.
• Infructescence pendulous, up to 30 cm long.
• Fruit a globose to pyriform capsule, up to 7 cm in diameter, orange-red, glabrous to velutinous on stipe up to 1.5 cm long; pericarp usually with white latex.
• Seed 3-4 per fruit, subglobose to obovate, 3 cm × 2.5 cm, testa black-brown, with orange-red aril around the hilum with crenate margin and sometimes with extension to micropyle; cotyledons superposed.

C. cumingianus is common in primary rainforest from sea-level up to 1300 m altitude. Based on differences in inflorescences (axillary, ramiflorous or cauliflorous) 3 subspecies have been distinguished. High altitude trees are usually cauliflorous. The kernel constitutes about 60% of the total weight of the seed and contains about 30% oil. The oil has about 4% free fatty acids (oleic acid), an iodine value of 78-80 and saponification value of 192. The oil has mild purgative properties, the effect of 5 parts of the oil is approximately equivalent to one part of castor oil; it has a rancid smell and a slightly bitter taste.

Selected sources

18, 42, 59, 97, 101. oils